This application includes embodiments and claims pertaining to electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. Additional embodiments pertain to a control unit integrated with an EAS system for analyzing and monitoring various functions within the EAS system.
Theft or shoplifting is a common concern or problem in retail establishments. Several techniques and systems have been developed to address this problem. Generally, an electronic transponder is attached to goods in the retail establishment and detection systems are placed at the exits of the establishment to detect whether a transponder is being removed from the establishment. The systems at the exits comprise transmitting and receiving antennas and controls for those antennas. A transmitting antenna monitors an area by broadcasting an interrogation field into it. When this interrogation field ceases, transponders that are located within the area respond with a signal and receiving antennas are tuned to detect these signals.
The transponders may be of several types, including harmonic transponders and resonant transponders. The interrogation signal of the transmitter antenna causes a small amount of energy to be stored on the transponders, and this energy dissipates after the interrogation signal stops, generating a signal that is recognized by the system. Typically, these systems are set up by installation technicians and the retail locations operating these systems have only a minimal level of control over the operation of the systems. If a system is displaying a consistent alarm, which may be a false alarm, or if the system appears to be experiencing a jamming signal, or if the environment within the store causes system alarms to be inappropriately loud or ineffectively quiet, the operators at the retail establishments have little ability to cope with the changes. Moreover, as shoplifters become more and more sophisticated, retailers begin to experience more issues with jamming devices, espionage and targeted attacks on the integrity of EAS systems and access control systems. All of these factors make it very important that a retailer has the capability of integrating security subsystems to augment a holistic security program within the establishment.